Beavers disappeared in this Corvallis long ago during the fur trapping era (though they have more recently made their way back in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana).

And the local high school team here goes by the name of the Blue Devils, not the Spartans.

Welcome to the other Corvallis, the one in Montana.

Being from Oregon, our Corvallis is well-known as the location for Oregon State University and one of the most pleasant places to live in the Willamette Valley.

Here in Montana, Corvallis is much less known, because it's smaller (about 1,000 residents in an unincorporated community), but it has a high school and post office. I stopped by during my Montana visit to see what Montana's Corvallis offers.

Just like the one in Oregon, it has what its name implies: a gorgeous setting in the heart of a beautiful valley. If anything, Montana's Bitterroot Valley is more scenic than Oregon's Willamette Valley, but then I'm not visiting during winter.

Corvallis is on the East Side Highway, between the two main communities of the Bitterroot Valley: Hamilton to the south (click to read my post) and Stevensville on the north. Stevensville is the oldest American settlement in Montana, dating to the early 1840s when founded as a Jesuit mission (more on that later).

The valley flows south to north, just like the Willamette, to where the Bitterroot River joins the Clark Fork River just west of Missoula.

Corvallis came into being in the 1870s, taking its name in one of two ways. Lore has it that someone had visited the Corvallis in Oregon (which was founded in the 1850s) and thought the name fit well in Montana. Or, more likely, since Corvallis in Latin translates to "heart of the valley,'' it took it's name that way.

The Montana Corvallis is a sleepy little community, so you won't find any back and orange banners and Beaver fever around this town.

I stopped by the cutest-looking store, Cowgirl's Corner boutique and salon, and was swept off my feet by Toby. He's one of the cutest, most friendly lap dogs I've ever met (see his photo above). The woman working the counter said gals from the valley come in to get spa treatments just so they can have Toby sit on their lap for two hours.

Across the street is the Brooks Chrsitmas and Gifts, an old hotel that is perhaps Corvallis' most noteworthy business today. The 1894 sprawling Victorian-style house is decorated with dozens of Christmas trees absolutely covered with ornaments. Pick the one you like from a tree and you can buy it. The business is so popular that sales are only on site, not over the Internet.

That keeps a steady stream of travelers, including likely a few Beavers from Oregon, visiting Corvallis.